


A Cure for Boredom

by orphan_account



Category: Alice In Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-23
Updated: 2014-08-23
Packaged: 2018-02-14 09:30:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,732
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2186589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alice thought it was going to be just another typical afternoon but then she spotted a dragon.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Cure for Boredom

**Author's Note:**

  * For [consumedly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/consumedly/gifts).



It was a curious thing to be sitting there, bored out of one's mind and then see a strange, winged creature sitting in front of you. Alice blinked and let out a shriek. The tiny being bolted towards the bushes at the loud sound which gave Alice a better look at it.

“A dragon?” Alice cried out in excitement. “Lorina! Lorina!”

Her sister didn’t respond right away. It was only after she called her name again did Lorina finally respond. “Alice, I am trying to study. Will you please keep it down?”

“But Lorina I saw a dragon!” Alice repeated. How could her sister not understand the importance of this discovery?

“I told you the conditions of coming out here with me included you keeping quiet and not bothering me with your playing.”

Alice frowned when Lorina went back to her studies. She turned towards the bushes and decided to chase after the dragon herself. 

She checked the bushed and didn’t see him there. It was disappointing but Alice kept looking. Eventually, she did see the small creature who started running again.

“Don’t go, Little Dragon! I won’t hurt you!”

The dragon scurried into a tree hollow. It was problematic because the hole was small but she dropped to her knees and was ever grateful for the fact that she had decided to put on trousers that day.

It took some effort to crawl through the hole but Alice eventually managed it. She winced as dirt, bugs, and other unsavory things brushed against her as she crawled further into the tree. The farther she got the more Alice wondered how long this tree hollow actually was.

Alice grinned the moment she saw the dragon up ahead. She reached out to touch it and her fingers just brushed against its scales before it scurried further into tree.

When she reached the end Alice found it was easier to pull herself out of this side of the tree hollow. Everything looked different though. There was no longer a small park where her sister had been sitting. Instead was a large forest.

She decided all she could do was start walking forward towards a light she noticed in the distance. Alice had no idea what the light belonged to but it made sense to go there. 

The forest path was strangely smooth with little obstacles in its way. 

Alice wasn’t sure how long she walked down the path with nothing but the faint chirping of birds reaching her ears. She walked with relative ease until a snarling sound broke the peace. At first Alice stood still and looked frantically around. She started to back up when something jumped out of the foliage. 

The creature stood and had a similar body type to a man but it was entirely covered in hair. Alice found the most curious part to be the face which was distorted to look like a muzzle. It was this that caused her fear to diminish and curiosity to grow.

When she took a hesitant step forward the wolf-like creature dropped down to all fours. His snarling grew louder by the second but it didn’t stop Alice from reaching her hand out towards the creature. She drew it back quickly after he attempted to bite her.

“Don’t bite!” screeched a voice from above.

Alice looked up but saw nothing. 

“Hello?” Alice called out.

The wolf moved to bite Alice again and then the voice spoke again.

“I said no biting!”

A large gust of wind blew by that knocked Alice to the ground directly on her behind.

The wolf was whimpering loudly now.

“You stupid wolf!” hissed the voice but this time it sounded like was coming directly from in front of Alice. “You don’t go biting children! It isn’t proper.”

“I am not a child!” Alice argued.

“How old are you then?” The speaker were tall with most of their body hidden by a long black cloak and a hood covering their face. From the voice Alice guessed it was a woman but she couldn’t be sure.

Alice stood to her feet and kept her head held high. “I turned thirteen last month.”

“Still a child!”

She wanted to protest but the figure held up a boney finger.

“I would stop insisting I wasn’t a child if I was you because I have no qualms about letting him eating an adult when he’s in this form.”

Alice wanted to protest but didn’t particularly like the idea of getting eaten.

“Is this wolf your pet?” Alice asked curiously. “Where I come from you’re not allowed to have wolves for pets.”

The cloaked figure hummed for a moment before answering. “In a way he is my pet but you’re much too young to understand such a thing.”

She blinked. “I don’t understand.”

“Precisely!” they shouted. “Let’s just say he is a dear and close friend who just happens to be half man and half wolf.”

“A half wolf, half man?” she repeated. “That’s amazing. How does one come to know such a person?”

The person waved their hand as if to dismiss Alice before starting to walk. “We can talk about those things another time. First we need to get back to my cottage and someone needs to receive his punishment.”

Alice could only watch with interest when the wolf whimpered and bowed his head.

~*~

It turned out that the light was coming from their home. Before going in Alice wiped her feet on the mat and looked around. The most interesting thing about the small cottage was the caldron bubbling in the corner, the broom propped up near it, and what looked like a witch’s hat.

“My, are you a witch?” Alice gasped in excitement. “I’ve always wanted to meet a witch.”

The person gasped and ripped off the hood to reveal a masculine face (despite the voice) along with bright red hair. “I am a wizard and not a witch, child! Do I look like a woman to you?”

“I apologize,” Alice said with a small curtsey. “I assumed wrongly from your voice.”

He opened his mouth to respond but stopped when the wolf started howling in what was most likely laughter. “Be quiet, Ludwig! Do I have to punish you?” he snapped.

The wolf quieted immediately and bowed his head again.

“Go into the room and sleep until your change wears off. We’ll talk then, understand?”

He nodded and then obeyed the wizard’s order.

“I apologize for that child. Ludwig often fails to obey me when he is in his wolf form,” the wizard murmured.

Alice wasn’t sure what to make of the comment but nodded anyway. “My name is Alice. You can call me that if you’d like.”

He smiled. “Since we’re exchanging names you can call me Ginger.”

“Is that your real name? It doesn’t sound like one,” Alice pointed out.

“No, but I prefer that to my given one so let’s leave it at that!” He huffed. “Do you think you would care to tell why you were wandering around in the forest in the first place, Alice? The forest is not a place for children.”

Alice sighed. “I was chasing this baby dragon and it led me through this tree hollow. The most curious thing was that the farther I got the larger it became. It truly was an accident. “

The man rolled his eyes and then pinched the bridge of his noise in annoyance. “Hasn’t anyone ever told you not to follow strange creatures through tree hollows?”

“I’ve been told many things but never that!”

“It’s the first thing we’re told as children!” Ginger told her. “Well, that and never agree to play any sort of game with a troll. It never ends well.”

Alice tilted her head to the side. “I’ve never met a troll before. What are they like?”

“Hideous creatures! They should stick to their toll bridges and never bother the rest of us.”

“Don’t you think that’s a bit harsh?” Alice asked.

Ginger sighed. “Forgive me, Alice and please take a seat. I’ll make it up to you by preparing one of my favorite meals.”

She couldn’t help but flinch. “Frog?”

“Do you take me for some kind of wizard that lives in the backwoods?” he cried.

“There’s a jar of frogs over there though,” Alice pointed out.

Ginger crossed his arms over his chest. “They are for potions and spells. I do not eat them though I have heard rumors of frog legs tasting like chicken.”

“Are we having chicken?” Alice quite liked the idea of having chicken. The mere thought of eating caused her stomach to growl and forced her to remember how long it had been since her last meal. She was famished!

“Does it look like I hunt or can afford such a thing?” Ginger laughed. “We are having, fish.”

Alice was disappointed but she knew not to be ungrateful. This wizard was nice enough to feed her and if it ever got back to her sister then she would never hear the end of it.

The smell of fish soon filled the small cottage. She could hear a soft whimpering from the bedroom but it sounded less like a wolf and more like a man.

“Is your pet back to being human now?” Alice posed the question as innocently as possible but Ginger saw through it instantly.

He nodded. “Yes but you can’t see him. He’s being punished.”

“Is he your pet when he’s human too?”

“Adult matters, dear.”

Alice huffed at the question. She reluctantly accepted it though wasn’t that happy with the response. “After lunch do you think you can help me find the tree hollow? If I don’t get home soon my sister will inform our parents of my disappearance and I don’t think I can handle another punishment so soon after my last one.”

“Oh, Alice you won’t be able to go back the way you came,” Ginger said sadly. “Wonderland doesn’t work that way.”

“Wonderland?”

Ginger took a bite of his fish before answering and it was almost as if it were a purposeful act so he could avoid answering her question right away. “Yes, child this is Wonderland and don’t mistake its name because a wonderful land it is not.”

“How can I get home then?” Alice was feeling frightened for the first time. What if she couldn’t get home?

“A dragon can travel across dimensions, go to different worlds, as long as it’s been there once before,” Ginger explained. “If you can find that baby dragon then he will be able to lead you home.”

Alice sighed. “How am I supposed to find a dragon? I am only a little girl!”

“Do not worry, child because we will help you search for the dragon. My dear pet has an excellent nose and I just so happen to have a shell of a dragon egg in my collection.”

~*~

The first place Ludwig led them wasn’t far from the small cottage where he resided.

“I don’t see anything,” Alice murmured. “Am I supposed to be seeing something?”

Ginger put a finger to his lips. “Be quiet, child! This is a lengthy process and Ludwig has only just started. It’s going to take time, understand?”

“Yes, but it’s dreadfully boring.”

“Don’t make me use a spell!” Ginger warned. “I know many silencing spells and none of them are very pleasant, Alice.”

Alice sighed but reluctantly kept her mouth shut. It was an hour before she even dared to speak again and it wasn’t from fear. She wanted to give Ludwig the opportunity to find the baby dragon.

“Searching for a dragon is difficult,” Alice commented after finally working up the nerve to speak again. “How long could it take?”

Ginger shrugged her shoulders. “Wonderland is a big place, Alice. It could be quite a while.”

The search proved futile until Ludwig seemed to hit on something. He growled softly and jerked his head towards a cave which caused Ginger to sigh.

“Is the dragon in there?”

“Most likely,” Ginger muttered. “I do hate the dark. Why do dragons love to nest in these sorts of places?”

Alice slipped ahead of the two and was about to head into the entrance when Ludwig bit down on the bottom of her shirt in an attempt to stop her.

“Let Ludwig go ahead, Alice!” Ginger scolded.

They walked and walked. The deeper they got the more nervous Ginger seemed to become but he had cast a light spell which illuminated the cave. It made it a little bit easier to travel.

Alice nearly tumbled over Ludwig when he came to a sudden halt. He started growling and then dragged Ginger and Alice to the ground. It came just in time to avoid a large ball of fire that was hurled towards them.

“We don’t mean any harm!” Ginger shouted. “All we are trying to do is get a little girl home.”

“Why should I trust you? Your kind enslaves mine, wizard.” the dragon hissed.

“It’s been 200 years! Get over it already.”

The response from the dragon was to shoot another blast of fire at them.

“Get out!”

Ludwig shot Ginger a look and growled.

“Be quiet, Ludwig.”

Alice sighed and scrambled to her feet. She pressed herself against the wall in case the dragon decided to shoot some fire at them again. It wouldn’t do her any good to get burned!

“Dragon, we don’t mean you any harm! I am only looking for one of your baby dragons that ran off a while ago.” Alice assured them and she also hoped they had the right dragon.

“For a meal I bet!”

She shook her head quickly. “No, of course not! I simply need the baby dragon to help me find my way back to my world.”

“The child came from the human realm and followed one of your children here. We need them to help Alice find her way back.” Ginger seemed reluctant to speak but stepped up to help Alice. 

“And what’s in it for me?” the dragon laughed. “I have no reason to help a human child!”

“Oh, you’ll have a wizard at your service for a period of three months,” Ginger hissed. “I give you my word which probably doesn’t mean much to you so we’ll make up a contract. How does that sound?”

“And what will I do with a wizard?”

Ginger sighed. “You can have the satisfaction of seeing me clean your cave.”

The dragon laughed but this time it sounded amused. “Deal.”

Alice watched as a small, baby dragon scurried out from the depths of the cave.

“Follow her. She will lead you to the way out and wizard… see you tomorrow.”

They hurried after the dragon and Alice tried to make sense of it all. She felt indebted to Ginger who had basically sold himself temporarily for her. “Thank you, Ginger. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I have a weakness for children,” Ginger admitted.

She smiled and almost didn’t notice when the dragon came to a sudden stop at a tree hollow. “Is this it?”

It made a strange noise and ran inside.

“Goodbye, Ginger,” Alice said. “Oh, and you too Ludwig. I am glad you never tried to eat me.”

The wolf growled.

“Go on, Alice. Your sister will be worrying!”

Alice waved goodbye to her new friends and crawled through the tree hollow. It was just like before but this time when she came out on the other side was her home.

“Lorina!” Alice called out. She ran to find her sister and discovered she was in the same place she left her.

“Alice I told you-“ she stopped in mid-sentence when she noticed Alice’s appearance. “You’re covered in dirt and filth! What have you been doing?!”

She started going on about her adventures but her sister wasn’t having any of it.

“Oh, Alice let’s get you home. Mother and Father are going to be so angry when they see you!”

Alice sighed and glanced over her shoulder just before her sister starting pulling her away. She saw the dragon which caused her to giggle.

Her sister might not believe her but Alice would always remember the day she saw a dragon, a witch that was a wizard, and a werewolf who was some kind of strange pet.

It would honestly be hard to forget.


End file.
